The U.S. Army is heading toward acquiring an interim cruise missile protection capability as part of an effort being spearheaded by the air-and-missile defense cross functional team within the service’s new Futures Command. - Defense News

The Missile Defense Agency is ‘not averse’ to developing and fielding space-based missile defense interceptors, its director, Gen. Samuel Greaves, said August 8 at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium. - Defense News

Missile defense leaders within the Pentagon as well as Congress are pushing for more missile defense capability in space and the Missile Defense Agency Director Gen. Samuel Greaves laid out a rough idea of what a space-based missile defense sensor layer could look like. - Defense News​The U.S. is seeing the need more and more to become increasingly interoperable with allies when it comes to missile defense, but there are many challenges still to overcome, according to a panel of former and current missile defense stakeholders at the August 7 Defense News Missile Defense Networking Reception. - Defense News

The Military's Search for InnovationBy Daniel M. Gerstein, RealClearDefense: “...in looking through the lens of history, it is at best unclear whether technology or operational necessity has led the innovation that has driven these advances.”

Defense companies are taking matters into their own hands — in partnership with the Pentagon — to recover a withering supply chain for the munitions market. Released in the spring of this year, the annual industrial capabilities report, put out by the Pentagon’s Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy, concluded that the industrial base of the munitions sector is particularly strained. - Defense News

On Tuesday, China announced it had successfully tested its first hypersonic aircraft. It could penetrate even the most advanced missile defense system, thanks to its ability to fly six times faster than the speed of sound. The successful test was a major breakthrough for China, as it is racing against both Russia and the U.S. to develop hypersonic aircraft and missile technology. - Newsweek

Raytheon and a Lockheed Martin-Dynetics team are now locked in a head-to-head battle to build a powerful 100-kilowatt laser for the U.S. Army, pushing the envelope on directed-energy capability development. - Defense News

As the U.S. Navy and Missile Defense Agency move into the second half of 2018, the SM-3 Block IIA missile is heading for a crucial test that the Pentagon hopes will dispel nagging doubts after two successive failures. - Defense News​To address the Russian and Chinese threats to the United States, as laid out in the National Defense Strategy, a focus on missile defense sensors is an absolute must, U.S. Strategic Command commander Gen. John Hyten hammered home during an August 7 speech at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium. - Defense News

Raytheon has built a new massive radar development facility — complete with robotic helpers — to assemble and test its newest radars, but the facility’s design will take the company’s radar work well into the future. - Defense News​Kris Osborn writes: The Navy is expanding its attack submarine strategy to further emphasize enhanced “spy” like intelligence, surveillance reconnaissance missions to quietly patrol shallow waters near enemy coastline - scanning for enemy submarines, surface ships and coastal threats. - The National Interest

Army’s Top Modernization Priority Is in Jeopardy By Jen Judson, Defense News: “Both congressional authorizers and appropriators have made moves to cut funds for the U.S. Army’s top modernization priority — Long-Range Precision Fires — as the service looks to find ways to accelerate the development of a new precision strike missile as part of that effort.”​

The A2/AD Challenge to Combat Casualty Care By Marta Kepe, Modern War Institute: “The step change in combat with potential adversaries requires a change of mindset, as well as financial and personnel investment in developing solutions for medical support provision in an A2AD environment.”​

Rebuilding America’s Military: Thinking About the Future ByDakota L. Wood, The Heritage Foundation: “America’s military—engaged beyond capacity and in need of rebuilding—is at a crucial juncture. Its current “big-leap” approach to preparing for future conflict carries great risk in searching for revolutionary capabilities...”​​

General Dynamics Electric Boat and the Navy are evaluating the potential of missile tube welding issues identified by a subcontractor to delay construction of the first Columbia-class submarines, the next block of Virginia-class submarines and for the British Dreadnought-class submarines. - USNI News

How China Built Its Military Might By Dave Majumdar, The National Interest: ““Unfortunately for those who have grown accustomed to extensive engagement with China’s outward-facing economic and scientific development in recent decades, the answer is simple: very little credence can be given to China’s commitments.””

How to Reshape the U.S. Military in 5 Steps By David Ochmanek, Defense News: “Wargaming and analysis done at the think tank Rand point to troubling trends in the capabilities of U.S. and allied forces relative to those of key adversaries.”

The Dawn of Anti-Personnel Directed-Energy Weapons By Robert Hunter Ward, Strategy Bridge: “The media, commentary, and political noise in the aftermath of the Trump-Putin summit missed the most important takeaway from the event: the return of Nixonian geopolitics.”​

U.S., TURKEY: F-35 Transfers to Turkey Held Back By Anthony Capaccio, Bloomberg: “Transfers to Turkey of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 would be barred temporarily under a compromise defense policy measure agreed to on Monday, according to House and Senate aides.”​

The Air Force's First Look at Future ICBM Designs By Sandra Erwin, SpaceNews: “Boeing and Northrop Grumman have presented design options to the U.S. Air Force for a new intercontinental ballistic missile. The companies are pitted in a head-to-head competition to build hundreds of ICBMs that will replace decades-old Minuteman 3 missiles.”

CHINA: China’s Robot SubsBy Paulina Glass, Defense One: “A rare interview with the leader of a Chinese unmanned-submarine program offers tantalizing new hints about the direction of China’s artificial-intelligence and naval-technology efforts — as well as Beijing’s messaging and deterrence strategies.

As OTAs Grow, Traditional Contractors Are Reaping the Benefits By Scott Maucione, Federal News Radio: “For the Defense Department, what was once an obscure acquisition approach has now turned into a methodology to fund research, prototyping, and in some cases, the production of systems to the tune of tens of billions of dollars.

The Future Evolution of North American Defence Co-Operation By Andrea Charron & James Fergusson, Canadian Global Affairs Institute: “the requirements to deter, detect and defend North America from a variety of new threats are transforming. In this context, Canada and the United States, through the Permanent Joint Board of Defense (PJBD) established the Evolution of North American Defense (EvoNAD) study.”

Dave Majumdar writes: China is developing a new generation of surface-to-air missile defenses, but details are scarce. What does seem apparent is that the new weapon is being designed to counter a wide range of threats ranging from aircraft to cruise missiles to ballistic missiles. - National interest

RUSSIA: Russia's Sixth Gen. Fighter and 'Radio-Photonic Radar' By Dave Majumdar, The National Interest: ““While the photonic radar still uses radio waves to locate objects like conventional systems, the laser allows it to pulse highly tuned frequencies in a broad emission band from the tens of megahertz to possibly up to the hundreds of gigahertz.””

Air and Missile Defense Integration Needed Now…More Than EverBy Dave Mann, Dick Gallagher & Larry Wells, RealClearDefense: “Potential adversaries have carefully observed U.S. successes in recent conflicts and seek to exploit perceived gaps and vulnerabilities. Given the cost of fielding large land, air, and maritime formations, many are turning to relatively cheaper and “difficult to defend against" technologies like ballistic missile and cyber capabilities.”

INDIA: The Future of India’s Supercarrier By Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat “The future 65,000-ton flattop INS Vishal, the second ship of the Vikrant-class, according to Indian media reports. As of this month, the MoD has not issued a so-called Acceptance of Necessity note, the first official step in procuring a new defense platform.”